"Chapter 7 – Game Plan"
The bad thing about trying to be normal, pretending to be human, is having to do all the boring stuff, like going to school. In pretending, rash decisions can't be made, lest they blow someone's cover. Humans make rash decisions all the time, acting on their silly little impulses, but they're nowhere near as destructive as Elena.
She likes to think she's fiercely intelligent, but patience is not her virtue. The boring mundane life of an average, American, high schooler makes Elena want to rip her brains out. With her humanity, Elena could suppress the knowledge of her power. But now, the thought coursed through her, filling her with an invigorating need to test the limits of her abilities. She has no one to tell her what to do, no one to hold her back.
But for now, she would have to.
She has to prove herself. Deucalion will be watching her, especially with Ethan and Aiden enrolled in the school. Allison will be watching her, too; so if she has any contact with the wolves there, the bitch will probably get suspicious.
She'd briefly heard her mention a guy named Scott, for whatever menial reason, and the Argent girl later pointed him out to her. When she passed him in the hall, she got the same smell off him as Ethan and his band of misfits. If Scott isn't part of Deucalion's pack—which Elena assumes he isn't—there's probably a good chance there's a reason why.
She can't take chances.
Elena sits in some high-level French class that she compelled her way into. Instead of listening to the teacher drone on in the foreign language she would have an eternity to learn, she writes plans in the notebook Argent found for her. She needs to be organized if this is going to work, to formulate a plan with precise steps and coordination. So far, she's confident that she doing a fairly good job of blending in; guys have hit on her, girls have tried to befriend her, and she's even had a few snacks without getting caught.
The next step is seducing Allison's father. She twirls a lock of her reddened hair, smirking at how she's right on track to check that off her list.
The first night in a new place is always the worst.
Getting used to her surroundings is always annoying, finding a place to sleep, no less in clothes that don't belong to her, and bathing in a shower whose temperament she hadn't figured out yet.
Argent escorted Elena into his apartment with his arm and jacket around her shoulders. Allison was at her friend Lydia's house, so that saved him an explanation for now; he knew his daughter wouldn't be happy about having to share her room, and it allowed him time to mentally prepare himself for the hissy fit that was sure to ensue.
"Do you want anything to eat?" he asked softly as they stepped off the elevator. Following suit, Elena caught a faint trace of werewolf, but made no outward sign of realization.
"No," she answered quietly.
Argent walked slowly with her by his side, keeping his guard up. "You'll be staying in my daughter's room," he announced, once they reached the door to his apartment. "You can borrow some of her clothes for now, and I'll take you to get some of your own tomorrow after school. She's with a friend at the moment, but she'll be back later; she's not very big on sharing, but she won't cause you any trouble. It isn't much, but hopefully you'll be comfortable here."
Elena forced a smile. "Thank you."
Argent removed his hand from her shoulder and pointed directly down the hall. "That's her room, there. The door on the left is the bathroom." He turned to face her with a serious look in his sapphire eyes. "My bedroom and the study are off limits. I know there isn't a lot to this apartment, but you're welcome to whatever's here as long as you stay out of those two rooms. Am I clear?"
Elena, pretending to be intimidated, looked away and nodded. "Yes, sir," she responded.
Argent smiled and patted her on the shoulder. "Alright then," he breathed. "You can take a shower if you'd like and you can change into some of Allison's night clothes. There are plenty of books to read, or I can pull out my laptop and you can play around on that. Maybe you and my daughter can... hang out." He smirked proudly at his perceived use of correct slang and turned on his heel. "I'll be in my study if you need me; just knock."
With that, he left her alone.
Elena sighed; talk about a serious downgrade. It was a cruel fall from overbearing grace leaving a mansion for this dump. She honestly dreaded the shower. If this is what she had to look forward to for however long she would be staying here, she would lose her mind in a matter of days.
She needed to get everything sorted as soon as possible.
Elena decided to humor Argent and took a shower, afterwards changing into black leggings that were slightly too long for her and a black T-shirt, choosing to keep her black heels. She cursed the shower for a brief moment for being so tiny and quickly slipped out of the apartment, grabbing a spare key from the set of hooks by the door.
She made her way out of the apartment complex without a sound. Cloaked by the setting sun, she sped off at top speed through Beacon Hills. Within seconds, she stood in front of the old bank. It was in worse condition than when she left it earlier; a giant hole stood where the west wall used to be and debris continued to fall from the cracks. The glass in the front doors was completely gone, shattered around on the ground inside and out. She wasn't sure of the entirety of the inside, but she was quite sure it was just as ugly as outside.
Elena stepped through the broken door, her heels crunching slightly on the glass. "Deucalion?"
Her voice was met by a looming silence. If she were human, she probably would have been frightened by the eerie setting.
She looked around, taking in the sight of the ruin left by the hunters. Chunks of marble and granite laid scattered across the floor. Large dents and dried blood masked dotted the entirety of the walkway.
They'd really done a number on this shit hole.
"We need to talk." She crossed her arms as the unnatural silence returned to the air. "I know you're still here, old man! I can smell you."
Then, without warning, Deucalion's cane flew through the air. Before she could react, the wooden aid pierced her chest through her back, right below her heart. With a startled gasp for air, she crumpled to her knees. Her hands fumbled for the foreign object in her body, but strong hands ripped it out from her back. She screamed in agony and collapsed on the ground, her chest heaving.
Deucalion kicked her in her side, forcing her to lie on her back. "You brought the hunters here," he accused in a calm voice as he placed his foot on her neck. "Have you come back to gloat?"
"I didn't bring them here," Elena spat in a raspy voice as she clawed at his ankle. "They think I'm human."
He pressed his foot down on her neck a little harder. "It's a little convenient too how the hunters arrived momentarily after you," he pointed out. "You came looking for trust you didn't deserve, and now you've returned. What makes you think I won't kill you?"
"I have a plan," she wheezed. She continued to gasp for air, trying to push him off of her even though she was still weak from her healing wound. "The hunters… their leader… took me home. If I can take him down… the rest… will follow."
He lifted his foot off of her neck, just enough that she could swallow another gasping breath. "Why do you desire our trust?" he questioned. "You are a vampire with more power than you know what to do with."
"I'm less than a year old," Elena informed him. She let her hands fall to her sides with soft thuds. "There's so much I have to learn, and I have enemies from my human life." She purses her lips. "I need… protection."
He scowled. "We are not bodyguards."
"I never said you were," she agreed. "But you're not from this town; this town's too simple and small for you to stay here without merit. With those hunters in the way, you'll never get what you want." She smirked proudly. "But I have an advantage over them."
She paused, waiting for the old man to show some spark of interest. When his flat lips twitched slightly, she delivered the finishing blow. "They'll never see me coming."
Deucalion removed his foot from her neck and placed his bloody cane in the middle of her throat. "My pack has left this building," he growled. "There are no traces of any werewolves in this building, nor in this town. I made the mistake once to trust you, but I will not make it again. Should you need to contact me—should you succeed in your whimsical plan—I will come to you. I will take note of your every move, your every breath, and your every thought. If you betray us again, there will be dire consequences."
"I won't fail," Elena promised. "I'll earn your trust."
He stood upright, allowing her to stand up. "Leave," he demanded. "If you come back here, you will not find me. As for you becoming close with Ethan—"
"He's gay," she interrupted. She crossed her arms. "Then again, he also has the most manners out of all of you."
Deucalion scowled. "It is unwise to believe you're in a position to insult those who are stronger than you," he pointed out. "Watch yourself around Ethan. You may think he's loyal to you, but his loyalty to the pack and to me far outweigh your paltry relationship."
With that, he turned on his heel and walked back into the dark, leaving Elena to herself.
"I think Jade's hiding something," Allison whispers to Lydia in the middle of the bustling restaurant after she deems Elena to be out of earshot. In actuality, Elena stands out of sight by the bathroom, listening in.
"What makes you say that?" her friend questions, popping a curly fry into her mouth.
Allison scowls. "She's... strange," she answers. "She avoids answering any questions about where she's from and she's been staring into my eyes a lot."
"Maybe she's just a lesbian with a bad past," the redhead jokes, taking a sip of her diet soda. "So I'm thinking about going to London for Christmas to see Jackson."
The Argent girl groans. "Don't change the subject!" she hisses. "What if she's dangerous? There's a stranger living in my apartment."
Lydia rolls her eyes. "I think you're over thinking it," she passes off. "If Jade's crazy or anything, I'm pretty sure she would have gone all nutso on your dad last night. You called him this morning and he's fine."
"Yeah, but he said Jade came home late and stuffed one of my shirts in the trash. He said when he pulled it out, there were two holes in it, like something had been run through it."
"I'm not psychic, Allison," Lydia points out dryly. "If anything's wrong with her, I can't tell you what it is."
The two look up just as Elena decides to make her reappearance. "She's coming," Allison whispers, then changes tone. "Can you afford going to London over Christmas?"
Lydia shrugs, playing along with a small smile. "Hopefully."
"What's in London?" Elena questions, pretending to be interested in the conversation as she takes her seat by Allison.
"My boyfriend," Lydia responds proudly. "He's taking care of some family things over there, and I'm planning to go visit him over Christmas holidays. I'll be the best gift under his tree."
Elena fakes a laugh. "I'm sure he'd like that," she says. She checks her phone. "Shouldn't we be heading back?"
The two girls exchange looks before checking their phones. "I guess we should," Allison agrees. "Scott said he wanted to talk to me about something, and I can't put him off forever."
"You can try," Lydia adds with a devilish grin, gathering her trash and getting up from the table.
Panting heavily, Caroline looks around the room. Her eyelids sag and she licks her dry lips. Her nose burns, overloaded by scents she can't overlook. Breathing hurts, but she has to keep going; she has to believe that Bonnie will find her and they can bring Elena back home. She's lost all sense of time, but it has to have been at least a day and a half; that's the longest she's ever starved herself before.
The thought of her friend not coming to find her has plagued her mind here and there as she dances out of her malnourished hazed, but she can't feed into it. If she does—if she gives up—everything she's done to get here will have been for nothing. She can't die here, not in some miniscule blip on the map that no one's ever heard of, not like this.
"Hey," she calls out quietly in a raspy voice, and it echoes off the barren, stone walls. She strains to take in a deep breath and tries for louder. "Hey!"
For a moment, the room is quiet.
Then, the sound of shoes tapping slowly on the floor nearly deafens her as her kidnapper steps into view. He towers in the doorway, a prominent scowl plaguing his features, darkening his chestnut eyes. Despite that—maybe with the added delusion of blood loss—he's actually kind of handsome. "What is it?"
"Can I at least get a bunny or something?" Caroline jests in her tired, gravelly voice. "I'm starving."
"Not until you answer my questions," he states adamantly. The same answer he's been spouting any other time she asks. If she makes it out of this alive, she'll bathe in his blood, despite the putrid, supernatural smell radiating off him.
"I might be willing to answer some of yours if you answer some of mine," Caroline bargains with a wiry smile. In her mind, she can sell ice to eskimos.
The man purses his lips and runs a hand through cropped, black hair. Dropping his hand to cross his massive arms, he walks over to her, standing a few feet from her face. The stench fills Caroline's nose and burns her nostrils. Her lips part slightly so she can breathe through her mouth instead.
"For every question you answer," the man negotiates, pondering as though the whole idea was his, and not, in fact, planted there by her, "I'll do the same."
Caroline sighs, playing the part. "Better than nothing…"
"Why are you in Beacon Hills?"
"To find my friend."
"She doesn't remember you."
"It's a different friend; I'm kind of popular. What's your name?"
At this, he deliberates, but complies regardless. "Derek Hale. Why did your friend come here?"
Caroline smirks. "If I knew," she starts, "I wouldn't be chained up in your creepy basement. Now: what are you?"
"You can't honestly believe you're the only supernatural thing out there," Derek spits, eying her viciously. "I'm a werewolf, an alpha."
Caroline laughs softly and slowly. "You're supposed to answer honestly," she tells him, cocking an eyebrow. "I've seen werewolves before, even dated one, but you smell nothing like them. You reek."
"Think of it as evolution," Derek suggests. "Humans have evolved, and there are different types of humans. The same process occurs within countless species, both of ours included. What drove your friend away and made you come look for her?"
Caroline shrugs lazily, but the effort doesn't show. "Vampires can switch off their humanity," she explains. "It's as simple as it sounds. It's like this switch in the back of your brain that controls all your feelings, emotions, morality, anything that makes you human. Her stupid boyfriend made her turn hers off."
"And her boyfriend stop her from leaving?"
She shakes her head. "It's my turn," she states slowly. "Where's Bonnie?"
"If you're referring to the girl we found with you," Derek snarls, "She's in a safe place. Now answer my question."
"Her boyfriend's brother called me," she breathes. "He told me that… she got tired of living like a human… ran away… and someone's looking for her. Let me see Bonnie…"
He huffs. "You're in no position to be making demands," he thunders. "Who else is looking for your friend?"
Caroline's eyelids drop and her lips twitch with a tired smile. "You don't need to know that," she answers, keeping her eyes closed. Behind her lids, she can see Klaus's face; how he would come to save her, how she would get mad at him for doing so while secretly being thankful. She would delight in watching him rip Derek's head off, no matter how ruggedly handsome the supposed werewolf is. "But what you do need to know, is that if we get Elena out of here in time, he won't come. He's the real threat."
Derek narrows his eyes at the blonde and turns on his heel. His footsteps fade and stop, then grow louder. As he returns back, she notices a small dog in his hands. She can't distinguish its scent, especially with the Wolf Man so close to her, but she can hear its terrified whimpering like squeaking brakes on a car.
Slowly she opens her eyes and gives him a half smile, the only thing she can manage. "That's not a bunny."
Derek rolls his eyes and holds the terrier up to Caroline's face while it struggles wildly. He turns away as the veins in Caroline's eyes pulsate and tries to ignore the hungry growls that escape her lips as she tears into the poor beast's flesh. For a solid minute, Caroline drains the dog until it falls limp in Derek's hands.
Feeling slightly rejuvenated, Caroline stands up tall and takes in a deep breath from her nose. She flexes her fingers, relieved to have some feeling back. Her toes curl over the cold metal beneath her bare feet, and she reluctantly looks at Derek. "Thank you."
He turns his nose up and leaves the room, clutching the dead dog. He returns momentarily with a chair and places it ten feet in front of her. Lips pursed, he steals a glance at her before taking a seat. He crosses his arms and one leg over the other, eyeing the vampire expectantly. "You've got two and a half hours," he announces. "Tell me about yourself. If I can believe you're not a threat, I'll think about letting you see your friend."
Gen crosses and uncrosses her legs over the course of five minutes, impatiently waiting for Elena to return to campus. The plan was to pretend to be Elena's friend—'get on her good side'—or have Katherine kill her. She'd much rather graduate and marry her boyfriend—who's probably worried sick about her—than take an eternal dirt-nap.
Resting her wrist on the table, she twirls her index finger and spins a straw on the table with her magic. She keeps her eyes locked on Bonnie's table. Katherine said to stay away from the Bennett witch, but she'd rather take her out now to save the trouble. Bonnie sits with Stiles—who Gen finds moderately attractive—and two other boys. The vibe from the werewolves in the bank radiates from them, so she assumes they're werewolves, and that makes her a little more interested in them.
Her head snaps to the cafeteria doors when they open, and she smiles when she sees Elena enter with two human girls.
Now's her chance.
Gen stands up and makes her way through the crowd as the raven-haired girl that came in with Elena makes her way to Bonnie's table. The natural redhead locks gazes with someone behind Gen and gestures with her eyes to meet outside of the cafeteria. Then she quickly glides out of the room on her sleek Louis Vuitton stilettos.
"Hi," the witch greets enthusiastically when she finally reaches Elena. She offers her hand. "I'm Gen; we have French together."
Elena visibly fakes a smile and takes Gen's hand to shake it. "Jade." A rush of cold surges through the witch and a spark flickers on Elena's fingertips. She eyes Gen curiously, sensing she isn't human. "Can I help you with something?"
Gen nods. "Yeah," she admits. "I'm kind of behind and BS'ed my way through the placement test. Do you... think you could help me out?" She lets her question hang in the air between them, hoping the forced sincerity sounds genuine.
With a scowl, Elena pulls the girl closer by her hand. "Okay, witch. Who are you and what do you want?"
Gen laughs softly. "Witch, meet Vampire," she points out quietly, a knowing smirk playing on her lips. "It's so boring to be stuck in a town with werewolves. I can feel how strong you are; you're stronger than anyone else in this little hole in the ground."
Easing the tension that had crept its way into her shoulders, Elena relaxes slightly with a brazen smile. "So, what do you want?" she asks, taking a step back to look the witch in her hazel eyes.
"An ally," the witch answers. "You and I are very powerful, and there will be people out there that want to get rid of us. In this town, you and I are one of a kind; no one knows anything about us. But something big is about to happen, and we need to look out for one another."
Elena raises an eyebrow and her smirk falls. "What do you know?"
Gen crosses her arms and slouches to the right. "There's a whole new pack coming to town," she spills lowly. "Well… they're already here, but they're looking to recruit. They need power, something you and I have a lot of, and they'll do whatever it takes to get it. They're stronger than regular werewolves and neither of us could take them on by ourselves. There's also… something in this school, something I've never known before."
Elena's eyes lift in wonder. "Maybe we should get to know a little more about each other," she offers after a moment. "We might just make good allies."
"Cool," Gen responds, holding back her devious smile until Elena turns her back.
